The Grey Knight
by The Varajan
Summary: What happens when you fight for something as long as you can remember? A crusade against evil in all its forms.But find out it was all a lie. Then you meet someone who changes everything. It was once said it takes true courage to be noble to trust to love
1. The Stranger

**Good day to you readers, flamers, spammers all! This is my first Naruto fic, I hope you like it and let me warn you like I warn most readers from all other anime related fics. THIS IS NOT MAINSTREAM! This is NOT another Sakura+ Naruto, Hinata+ Naruto, Sasuke + Sakura fic. In my experience, most of those sadly have been boring and/or poorly executed, this is a deviation with a completely new storyline placed more or less when Orochimaru first shows up and the whole mayhem that followed but with a very particular new path woven into it.**

**If you are not into these kinds of deviations then I don't recommend you read past the first three chapters or so.**

**I apologize for this rather hostile introduction. Please give me hard reviews, detailed reviews or gushy reviews or whatever takes your fancy but so long as it gives me feedback as to my story weaving.**

**I hope you enjoy this story as much as I will enjoy writing it!**

**The Stranger:**

The Third Hokage sat in his humble room in Konoha. The amber light from the sun setting behind him cast a different color in the house, it made everything seem like it was all aflame, but it was oddly peaceful. Such a disturbing notion, anything that might harm his village made the old man's stomach wrench.

He took a drag from his pipe, the smoky, herbal warmth filled his mouth, his nostrils and his lungs. He held it in until it became mildly acrid, then, he exhaled, the smoke snaked out and formed undulating tendrils in the air before it faded.

He had a lot on his mind, the Chuunin exam was coming up and he was anxious for Naruto's performance. He had been watching over Naruto ever since he was an infant, there had always been something special about him.

His mind continued to wander, from when the fox demon came, to when Naruto was first accepted into the academy.

Fox demon, yes, that monstrosity is what had drawn his guests' attention in the first place to the Land of Fire, to the lands of the Shinobi of the Leaf Village.

In the far east, past ocean, there was a chain of lands called Varajo. And in these lands there were was an order called "Ordo Templum Cinis" in their native tongue. These people called themselves The Order of Templar of the Ashes, or more commonly known as Ash Templar. They, from their fortress monastery in Varajo located demons or daemons as they called them, evil spirits, eldritch monsters and the sort and with their seers and from there, launched expeditions to seek out and destroy them.

These people were in essence, Daemon Hunters, and the best in the world. They had an influence of power and warriors seldom seen in the world, in Konoha or otherwise. They behaved like heroes of old, people of principle, of a moral code, of faith, an unshakable irrefutable, incontrovertible belief that destroying their enemies the right thing to do, and that theirs belonged a final victory that could not be denied.

The Hokage had dealt with them before on his adventures and odysseys. He had seen firsthand, their ferocity and conviction in battle. He himself had helped them find and kill a hydra demon residing in the oceans close to the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their captain, was slain killing the demon, he would never forget how she sacrificed herself to save him, a stranger, an ally. A mother, who to the second she died, killed in the name of her infant son, so he would live in a purer world.

And now, for the first time in sixteen years, the Daemon Hunters found quarry in the Villages of the Shinobi, and remembering the aid of the Third Hokage, they had dispatched a band of their finest to Konoha to slay an immensely powerful Snake Daemon, and a man who stole bodies to inhabit them for his own.

He knew, this could only mean one man…

Orochimaru

The Ash Templar would be arriving soon, and Lord Hyuga had offered to accommodate these distinguished allies in his manor.

To be truthful, the Hokage was relieved to have them here, he knew that their presence would save many lives that might have been otherwise lost or destroyed.

But there was something about them that unsettled him, perhaps it was their faith, their utter willingness to charge back into the fray when everyone else falls back. Their near demented, feverish, passionate love for combat against the enemy, and their one law: To never surrender, to always fight to the bitter end, to do otherwise, is blasphemy.

And as such, they devote themselves utterly to whatever they do, to everything they undertake they pour themselves into utterly, in body, mind and soul.

The Hokage had never seen such discipline….

Perhaps it was this courage and discipline that unsettled him if it was ever turned against his people.

A foolish notion, these people he knew were men and women of principle and of code. They had nothing to do with conquest of betrayal of people, but the destruction of evil.

He took a deep breath and took another drag from his pipe, savoring the warmth of the smoke.

Nothing left to do, but wait for the knights to show up….

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Naruto was, where he usually was on a Saturday afternoon with nothing to do; at the ramen shop. He had already gorged on one of likely to become three servings of the steamy noodle soup and was waiting for his next serving.

His mind was running wild from the exams to come on Monday, the Chuunin Exams, THE Chuunin Exams. An advance in rank, one more test to pass to prove his worth to the people of the village, to prove wrong everyone who had ever called him a loser or a failure, he was so excited! He was determined to treat himself to a job well done of getting this far.

And of course it was a new way to show off to Sakura.

He blushed a little thinking about her, she was amazing …

What did Sasuke have that he didn't?

It must be the dark hair, maybe he should dye his….

Whilst Naruto pondered this, a stranger sat next to him and looked at the cook he pointed to the small bubbling cauldron and signed for one cup.

"Hey buddy, between you and me, that sausage, garlic, onion, egg and noodle ramen is actually really bad, I don't know why the old man still makes it" said Naruto . The stranger who was fiddling with his satchel turned around and looked at Naruto curiously.

Naruto was more than a little surprised by the boy who was sitting next to him. He wore chainmail, a black tabard and a black long mantle that had a weird sword and thorns symbol woven into it's front and back in white. The boy was a healthy pale tone if that was even possible, he had gentle lavender eyes that had a spark of brilliance and intelligence behind them if you looked hard enough. Right off the bat he seemed to have the same casual, aloof, friendly demeanor as Kakashi sensei.

"Uh, hi" said Naruto, scratching the side of his head trying to figure out the character.

"Erato" answered the boy in greeting, smiling. He had a foreign accent to him.

"Erato? Is that how you say hi? Where did you come from?" asked Naruto.

The boy's eyes eased for a moment as he studied Naruto's face, what struck Naruto as curious is how the stranger held his gaze fixatedly without any sort of hesitance or problem. The stranger thought the question over for an instant then answered;

"I am come from Varajo"

Naruto gave him a quizzical look.

"Ooook, well, my name's Naruto and I'm a Genin, but on Monday I'm going to take the Chuunin exam. What's your name?"

The boy slurred his words a bit as he tried to vocalize them, a little unsure as to if he was saying the correct thing.

"Serjio Alexandros, Ich make training t-to be Templar, I ish apprentice, Ich hunt Daemons with Master"

Naruto was completely lost.

Before he could ask anything else, a voice came from a caravan of people dressed just like Serjio mounted on horses who split the crowd without touching them, drawing looks of awe and fear. They shouted something to him right when the cook gave him his ramen. The boy shouted something back and the leader, by the looks of his armor, the same nodded and went off.

Naruto thought he was mistaken but, were they being led by a servant of the Hyuga's?

The boy ate the soup gleefully but with impeccable manners. Naruto kept speaking with the boy who listened quietly but didn't utter a syllable more. He ate and drank in silence.

After the boy finished his meal, he took out a single golden coin and gave it to the man with a worried expression. He wasn't sure if he had paid the man enough.

The cook and his daughter both half choked and Naruto ended up deciding to pay for the boy's ramen, which was very cheap and the gold coin he was giving could easily pay for the ramen shop's rent for three months.

The boy decided to give them the coin anyway, and he gave Naruto one too. It had a dragon etched on it like a rune and shone regally.

The boy smiled and shook the cook and daughter's hands and then half embraced Naruto. He smiled and said, "Nara" as he walked off into the warm dark of the failing light, into the same direction the caravan had gone through. He was probably saying goodbye.

The trio at the ramen shop was completely lost.

A weird kid, a little older than Naruto by the looks of it, who gives gold coins for free and hugs for about the same thing and had absolutely no concept of being reserved with strangers.

Suddenly Serjio was the ramen shop's owner's favorite customer much to Naruto's irritation.

Naruto made a mental note to find out who these people were tomorrow, he was not at all sleepy and he felt like walking some after he was finished eating.

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Serjio continued his treck around the village drawing looks from everyone. He stuck out like a massive glowing sign, but he didn't mind the staring at all.

Although he didn't know it, he met all of the rookies who were going to take the exam on Monday as he went through the entire village. Everyone, from Sasuke, Neji and Kiba to Ino, Shino and Sakura. The latter gave him directions when the boy finally decided to go to his destination.

"Erato" he said to her after staring at her for an instant, then turning on his heel to speak to her.

"Um, hi?" she answered a little unsure.

"Hyuga house, where is?" he asked.

"Hyuga Manor? Oh its just that way, just go until you pass that building, then you take a left then a right then all the way to the end" she said reinforcing the instructions with gestures and pointing from her hand.

The boy then smiled and thanked her by bowing his head. Then he went on his ways to the Hyuga Household.

Sakura, much like everyone he met before, be it picking up a bag of chips Chouji dropped and the same asking him where he was from. Or Sasuke walking alone both exchanging glances, only Serjio was smiling friendlily. Or Ino half skipping home and then bumping into him, the same almost fell on a table next to a sushi bar at the corner but thankfully Serjio caught her before she fell into the crowd.

They all thought the same thing; "What the hell?".

As Serjio approached the gates of the Hyuga Clan's home, he smiled as if he had a private joke he wanted to share with everyone. In his own tongue he thought to himself smirking sheepishly.

He could understand what the people said, but he could only speak a broken dialect. He was never very good at languages.

He smiled at the guards who were told he would be coming at some point and the pair opened the gates and let him in. Now all he had to do was find where Master was sleeping in the whole complex. A task, he thought, that could easily take him the rest of the night.

**R&R I hope you like the fic, and as thus, I hope to hear from you! As always to all my readers, here's a cookie!**


	2. A New Friend

**Here is the second chapter, all reviews are appreciated so long as they are detailed in opinion. I want to know what you think and all suggestions are welcome. **

**A New Friend:**

Serjio had missed the introduction his band had had with Lord Hyuga by a clear hour. He was grateful however that Master had given him the opportunity to roam freely for a few hours in the village. He met many new, interesting people and had a good picture of the village itself. He had half glanced Lord Hyuga walking to his quarters when the same stopped him to ask him a few questions as he wanted to meet all of his, distinguished guests.

The young apprentice didn't mind, he was after all the youngest member of the Blade of the Thorn branch of the Temple Order by a solid ten years and he was often questioned by the adults or quizzed by the same. This age gap made him, for all intents and purposes, every other member's nephew, son, younger brother or grandson in the entire order, he was born in the start of a particular time of the Order, the Lowlands Crusade which lasted for twenty years. Four years into Crusade he was born and that gap made him the sole squire of the order of that age.

In fact he was the only apprentice in the entire order. Everyone else was either a trainee or a Templar. He was in the middle so to speak. Older than the children, but not quite an adult either. Still this had its advantages, being the kid brother of a hundred plus hard ass brothers and sisters gave him the opportunity to learn from everyone as he was the only student. But still, his origins made him the black sheep of the Order, and more to that, he knew he was not fully welcome in the Blade of the Thorn. He was treated like a servant, and with a mild neglect like a stray dog.

Lord Hyuga quizzed him on his name, age, who was his teacher, and several other aspects of Order. He was however a little irritated, at the boy's ambiguous answers, but understood that he was not commanding a mastery of Konoha's language.

"When were you born?" asked Hyuga.

"Ten and shiks years ago"

"Who is your teacher?"

"All Templum"

"What is your full name?"

"Serjio"

"Serjio what?"

"Nay, Serjiowhat, jusht Serjio"

"I meant you last name"

"Alexandros"

After he tired of the questions he simply showed Serjio to the Templar room and walked off to his own quarters afterwards.

The Templar had set up their weapons and armor as if they were in a camp in the wilderness. They also placed their devotional statuettes of deities they served and incense for their prayer circles. There was a low chanting prayer as all the Templar sat on both knees in front of their icon.

The prayers, although foreign and alien to all who were unfamiliar with the Varajan language could seem like an incantation.

But the prayer was the Litany of Duty, chanted once they had the opportunity to make their devotions for strength, courage and honor in the face of the horror of their quarry.

Serjio kneeled next to his brothers and sister where his place was reserved in prayer and picked up where they started. He closed his eyes and felt his heart open as he recited his prayer for courage.

_Litany of Duty_

_Spirits of my Ancestors, Deities Above, and Saints Past and Present, I fight in your name, I labor in your memory and believe in your words. Give me the opportunity to be courageous, to gaze upon my enemy and test my courage against its horrors. Give me the opportunity to fight in your name, to slay your enemies and strike them down with all my might. Give me the opportunity to test my faith against the array of our opposition, to let my belief shine like the sun and cast down the shadows._

_My Duty is sacred; my mind is pure of purpose, my body a singular weapon and my soul an impenetrable shield. I will not fail, I will not falter, I will never surrender, to do otherwise is blasphemy._

_My Duty is to my country, to the Order, to my brothers and sisters, to my allies and to my Saint. All those who stand with me will be my kin, my blood and theirs, one and true._

_My Duty is my life, both woven and intertwined in way and purpose. My life is the Order, my love for all that is pure my hatred for that that is naught._

_My armor is contempt, my body is discipline, my mind is light and my heart and soul is the Oath._

_I shall not fail…._

And with that, he remained a while longer in prayer with his brothers and sisters before he took off his weapons and armor, set them in a clean and orderly manner next to his bed and set to sleep.

His brothers and sisters finished praying and went about the same routine.

The Templar slept, their room, a sea of incense that smelled of ash.

They, were ready for the Purge….

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Hinata woke up the morning after, curled up in her bed in the cool, soft, early morning light. She sat upright and rubbed her bleary eyes sleepily, the thought of the exams faded into her mind like fog. An unavoidable, ever present shadow over her mind, if it was not one thing it was the other. Her father's disdain for her shyness and apparent weakness of character, her sister shining every way she didn't, the fear of failure in the Chuunin exams. It was always something.

Out of her discipline, she got out of bed, brushed her teeth, combed her hair got dressed into her usually attire for training and came out her room before proper dawn as she always did, before anyone else to do her laps and exercises. She wanted to make her dad proud, even if he hardly noticed her, just like Naruto.

She walked out of manor and reached the gate of her lavish home grounds. She stepped outside as the guards opened the door for her. She walked away from them, a little shy about starting her laps in front of anyone. As she reached the corner, she turned on her heel and broke out into a steady run.

She so focused on her laps that the whole world seemed to blur around her, she was only aware of her lungs, her legs, her effort.

She was barely aware of it herself, but when she ran, she ran from everything. Everything that ever scared her, everything that made her sad. When she ran she was escaping from every problem her life had placed in front of her. It was what made her run, faster, faster and without rest, until she was exhausted.

Her father's punishing glare.

Naruto's never looking gaze, it was like he couldn't see her.

From her shyness, from the fact she had no friends, that no one cared about her.

She wanted to get away from everything.

As she darted across the corner, she was for lack of a better expression; blown out of her thoughts. She was at a full run and so was Serjio who was doing the same thing as her and focusing solely on his running. Both smashed into each other as they turned the corner at full speed.

She fell flat on her back slightly dazed by the blow, but quickly remembering that she had hit someone she half bounded up to check up on who she had knocked down. But as soon as she was on her feet, she was greeted by the exact opposite of what she was expecting. Rather than a glare and someone scolding her, she was greeted by light laughter.

A boy in a black tunic and matching boots and pants with a white insignia on it, of a sword bound by thorns around it was laughing, although just as hard hit as her, he was smiling at the sky and cackling to himself.

He rubbed his chest as he sat up. By then Hinata was a respectful distance from him, already worried and apologizing for having knocked him down.

He got up slowly, smiling widely at her. She shrunk away from his gaze, he seemed to tower over her. It was both that he was taller than her, and his demeanor, he held his chin high with pride.

He was the complete antithesis of Hinata Hyuga.

"A-are you ok?" she half whispered.

He nodded and gestured "And you?"

She nodded hesitantly.

He smiled and led her by the shoulder to his side facing the way she was going. He smiled again, taking a good look at her, he jogged a few feet forward and then looked back at her. She was looking at him reluctantly as if embarrassed to start running again.

"As one?" he asked pointing down the wall and making the gesture for her to follow.

He smiled while doing so, attempting to reinforce the gesture. She smiled lightly, a small, tiny little thing.

Both set off again.

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Lord Hyuga woke up as he usually did; cranky.

He got out of bed, put on his robe and stepped out to the gardens to have his morning tea.

He thought about checking up on his guests, but decided against it, leaving the Daemon Hunters to rest. However when he stepped out the garden he was greeted by a sight that he was not expecting, the Ash Templar were all outside and meditating.

Dressed in full battle gear, they all prayed that morning for fortune and glory in the hunt to come.

The captain by the look of the armor stepped out of the formation and walked up to Hyuga taking off her helmet.

The captain, was for lack of a better word; breathtaking.

She was in her fifties and her hair was silver, but a natural silver not a silver brought on by age. Her icy blue eyes conveyed a sense of authority and of kindness.

She smiled at him, patting down her bowl cut hair and bowing her head graciously to her host.

"Greetings Lord, how does the day greet you?"

"Well enough. I met your apprentice last night"

"And what do you think of him?"

"He seems….ill suited to be a Templar, he stands out from your kin, and not in a good way"

"You are unsure of his abilities?"

"Yes, he is too gentle, like my daughter"

The captain stroked her hair, smiling, as if to the memory of some private joke.

"He **is** a gentle soul, but he has the heart of a Templar Saint. He is true to his duty and a force to be reckoned with in battle. Do not confuse a smile, with weakness"

Before Hyuga could retort the captain interrupted.

"By the way, have you seen my little imp this morning? I can't seem to find him" she asked smiling.

"No, I have not. Perhaps he wandered off into town" he answered.

"Nay, he would have asked first for permission" she answered silently thinking.

Lord Hyuga, heard the running footsteps of her daughter as he usually did coming from beyond the walls of the manor, by the time he awoke she had been running for some a few hours as she always had. But this time it was different. They shifted in movement and there were abrupt stops and changes in direction. And he heard two sets of footsteps, and he could hear giggling and winded laughing.

"Hinata! Come inside!" he shouted loud enough for her to hear him.

"Yes Father" she said, loud and clear, rather uncharacteristic of her.

The captain smiled and looked to the door to the gardens as it slid open and Hinata stepped it, drenched in sweat with Serjio in tow in a similar condition, both trying to catch their breath.

Hyuga cocked up an eyebrow analyzing the scene, the captain smiled.

"Serjio, what were you doing?" she asked and before he could answer she added; "In the tongue of our guests Serjio".

He smiled widely, remembering she was hell bent on him picking up the language quickly, speaking in varajan was forbidden.

"We play tag and run around about manner" he answered trying not to slur his words.

"Manor" Hinata corrected him, almost whispering, shrinking away from her father's gaze as he glared at her for her behavior with one of their guests.

"We play tag and run around about manor" he corrected scratching his head not knowing the difference in enunciation. But noting how she enunciated the o.

"Training already? Well, since you are all warmed up already, go wash yourself, put on some dry clothing and get ready, you have things to do" she said.

He smiled and nodded, he made a note of bowing his head to Lord Hyuga before leaving to have a cat bath with a wet wash cloth.

He waved at Hinata before leaving the gardens and she waved back shyly. He was really friendly and an amiable boy in general.

"Well, it seems like you made a new friend" said the captain, smiling sweetly at Hinata.

"He's um, really nice" she said quietly, averting the captain's gaze.

She hesitantly looked at the captain when she crouched down to be at eyelevel with her. She was smiling fondly, as if she had known Hinata for years.

"Don't be afraid to look at into our eyes, we won't bite" she said.

"O-okay" said Hinata, the shyness dissipating slightly, she looked at the captain and smiled.

"You are a Shinobi no? Would you like to train with us later on?"

"Mhmn" answered Hinata with a nod.

"I'm glad you are getting along with him, he really is a loner and seldom speaks to children his age" she added.

Hinata smiled shyly at the tall, regal woman.

She liked the Templar, they were really, really nice to her, and made her feel at ease. They made her feel; welcome.

And with that, she went to her room to take a quick bath and to get ready for breakfast.

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At the table everything was tense as it usually was save that the Templar were present and they tried to eased the mood of the Hyuga household a bit explaining the more vernacular aspects of their Order by the Lord's request.

Some of these things struck the non Templar people as odd. Things such as having only one meal a day, and said was to be eaten in silence.

Vows of poverty, to live life with a communal wealth, not an individual one, to live with humility and without the more lavish aspects of life.

Training of mind and body, to its limits, to continuously strive for perfection of the martial arts and war magick.

To study the scriptures of philosophy. To strive to learn all one can, and everything one can.

The cornerstone of Templar life is in essence; discipline.

After the Hyugas were done having breakfast, the Templar packed up their things and marched off to see the Hokage, not wishing to waste a moment more. However, what was unexpected was that they left Serjio behind to stay with the Hyugas. The captain gave him no explanation, but then again, Serjio asked for none, he trusted her judgment, and if she ordered him to stay behind, then he was of better use in Konoha than on the field.

In a moment, Serjio found himself alone in the Hyuga Manor, with absolutely nothing to do. He was not a Shinobi, so he had no business with the exams, he was not familiar with the area so he had nowhere to go.

Was the captain testing him? Maybe, just to see what he would do if he was left to his own devices and to boredom.

_Laxity grows from Idleness_

And with that he went to explore the training grounds, as he marched behind Hinata who was going to go train on her own, he followed her as she was the only one he had befriended in the village. She kept looking back at him shyly, she continuously wondered why he was following her, but concentrated on what was important; passing the exam so she wouldn't be left behind, if she passed it father would be pleased and maybe.

Maybe Naruto would notice her.

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Hinata stepped in front of the training post and struck it lightly with her Gentle Palm Style, marking from routine the sensitive points in the Chakra points marked on the pillar.

She focused on the points and lost herself again to the routine. Trying to forget her issues and troubles. Only the sound of her hands striking wood echoed through the forest, her focus refined and sure.

She wondered silently who she would fight in the one on one rounds. She feared she would have to fight Naruto. If she did, she, she would throw the fight. She couldn't do anything else, she wouldn't , she couldn't fight him.

She cast away the thought, it being painful. She continued to focus on her routine until she noticed that Serjio was standing parallel to her, watching her strikes and form with focus and interest.

She stopped as soon as she made eye contact.

They both stood there quietly, he waited for her to resume and she waited for him to say something.

He smiled sweetly and struck the pillar, unsure, but attempting to mimic her stance and technique.

He continued for a moment and stopped when Hinata who was pushing her two index fingers together, said quietly.

"Your stance is a little wrong, you have to open your palms more and loosen your arms" she said.

He looked at himself and looked at her quizzically and simultaneously let his shoulders slack broadly and opened his palms as far as they would go.

"Like this?" he asked, his accent thick and deliberately exaggerating his gestures trying to get her to laugh or at least smile.

"Um, no, it's too much this time" she answered with her voice low and her gaze downcast.

Serjio frowned thoughtfully, this girl he met at the Hyuga house was very, very, very shy. And she seemed sad too, her father, the Lord, glared at her often. The Templar was trying to get her to loosen up and smile a little, she was acting differently to when they had played tag that morning, she was still reserved but he apparently caught her in a playful mood, but now, it seemed she had reverted to her reluctant state of mind. He wanted to brighten her day a little more, but didn't know how. She seemed to be younger than him and he had no experience in dealing with kids his age as he was raised by adults, and monks at that.

In fact, he wondered why he was so bent on trying to cheer her up. Sure, it was in his nature to be as he was, but usually he would not be this persistent with strangers.

There was something about the petit girl that he found attractive.

Sure, she was beautiful, but there was a kindness that he sensed in her that he found endearing.

Hinata quietly stood as he looked at her with a lazy interest waiting for her to do something. Seeing clearly that she was uncomfortable with being the center of attention he shouldered his halberd and began to practice on the other end of the pillar.

His weapon of choice, an impossibly intricate and detailed thing, its blade, a wedge shaped killer that warmly shone in the sun, he looked at it fondly before beginning.

He swung the pole arm was brought in its base position held outward, from the mid shaft in defense. Serjio swung out the weapon in a wide arc, parried and blocked imaginary claws from non existing opponents.

Now it was Hinata's turn to watch the stranger fight, both were unfamiliar with each other's styles and Serjio, unlike most Shinobi, sported a weapon seldom seen in the hands of a ninja.

His form seemed like a dance, his halberd a symbol, his form, practiced and perfect. Just as she knew the style handed down through the years in the Hyuga Clan, he knew how to use his arm of choice.

Both fighters continued to train, Serjio stopped every now and again to watch her form, and she, his. After a few hours, Hinata grew accustomed to his presence, wherever she went so did he. He followed her like a shadow, not knowing where else to go.

Before the day was done, she had taught him how to throw a kunai knife, a shuriken and the basic form for Gentle Palm. And frankly, she enjoyed it. He never spoke out complaining, he never gave up trying to get the knife to stick to the target and he was always smiling. And he never said anything when she failed some part of the training. Such as a target in a difficult angle, or when he managed to counter a gentle mark and mark her in turn in sparring in hand to hand.

The way he never scolded her or made her feel uncomfortable in training was nice.

When the sun began to set both headed back to the Hyuga Manor, her tall armored shadow, cloaked and in tow and with a smile on his face.

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At the table that night, Lord Hyuga ignored Serjio in addition to his daughter, he had developed an opinion of the boy in a day and had no desire to speak to him further, but would allow the squire to continue living in the Hyuga Household so long as he did not cause trouble and his kin would finish their hunt soon.

The day after, Hinata prepared to repeat the routine, the same old routine, everything was the same, save that when she stepped out of her room, Serjio was there waiting for her. He was dressed in his tunic but with none of his battle gear.

"S-Serjio, what are you doing up this early?" she asked, she knew he was probably going to do the same thing as her and train but she was wondering what was he doing waiting for her.

"Before battle, Templum prays and makes peace. You make battle tomorrow yesh? Make peace today and make calm in here and in here" he said gesturing her head and her heart.

Hinata, was completely lost.

She remembered what the captain had said at breakfast when they had arrived, that the Templar made peace and relaxed before a foreseen battle. Something of being calm of mind, body and soul. That must be what Serjio meant.

"B-but, I have to keep training to get better, I-"

"Nay" he said. He gestured her to follow him, she did, less reluctantly and shadowed his footsteps into his room.

He had set two prayer mats, one in front of the other and kneeled down on one of them. He gestured for her to sit down and only after a moment, she did.

She pulled down the sleeves of her sweater and interlocked her hands, very self-conscious and slightly embarrassed of Serjio's forwardness.

Her feelings evaporated when Serjio placed both of his open palms on the sides of her temples and looked at her fixatedly. She returned the stare, reluctantly.

He took an unnecessarily deep breath and exhaled.

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

He drew another and released it.

She followed suit.

He removed his hands and placed them both on his thighs.

"Maek peace"

"You mean pray?"

"Yesh, to your Gods"

"O-ok, but for what should I pray for?"

"Peace in mind, body and spirit. Chance to act courage, to act good, to fight best you can"

She placed both of her hands together and prayed, more like, weakly requested for what Serjio had told her to ask for, and she prayed for Naruto to do well.

She opened her eyes after a moment.

Serjio's eyes were sealed shut by concentration, a seamless concentration, his hands were interlocked and his head was bowed slightly.

"What are you praying for?" she asked him, barely a whisper by the silence of the room.

"For Hinata, we want her to maek victory"

Hinata smiled weakly, Serjio was wishing her luck, and he was REALLY wishing her luck. Focused and solemn he prayed for a moment more before finishing.

While Hinata patiently waited for him to finish she noticed that there were no incense on like she thought there was. It was Serjio who smelled of ash, it wasn't a nasty or acrid smell. It was….pleasant, a smell of renewal, of pure element.

The smell of ash, she now had a face to go with it.

Like the smell of flowers went with Sakura, like the smell of conditioner went with Ino, the smell of ramen went with Naruto, now the smell of ash would go with Serjio.

After he was done, Serjio looked at her silently, his lavender eyes searching hers. She shrugged away from his gaze a few times nervously. After doing so, he gently shifted her face right back to the gaze. She wondered if he was looking inside her soul via her eyes.

Then as if, finding what he was looking for, he got up and pulled her to her feet.

"What does Hinata like to do in her free time?" he asked carefully choosing his words.

That was the first correctly pronounced sentence he had uttered since he arrived.

"Um, well, I like to walk around the village and I…..um…..spend time with my friends" she answered, she liked to follow his classmates around and listen to the conversations when they were in groups, but mostly she had always been in the background. That constituted as spending time with them.

"Then, let's find Naruto" he said.

She looked up at him surprised, then shrugged away blushing. How did he know? Did he see it in her eyes or something? If he could discern something like that by staring at her…that was amazing. Serjio was special, she could tell.

Serjio smiled as she did when he suggested finding the nice young boy he met yesterday. The suggestion of finding Naruto as to her friends was more of an assumption, they were both of the same age, more or less and they were both trainees he learned through captain who told him of the Chuunin exams and the system of the Shinobi in the village and they both had the same headbands. And he assumed that they knew each other on a personal level, more than that, he chose the name at random remembering the boy in the orange jumpsuit. And by her reaction, it was confirmed.

He took her by both of her hands and hoisted her up gently until she was standing. She smiled at him reluctantly, but there was fondness behind the smile. She liked him and was beginning to trust him.

He kept shifting her view back up to meet his when she shrugged away as he tried to deal with her shyness. She was beginning to ease a little.

"Let's go then" she said quietly, taking him by the wrist briefly, leading him out of the room. She was hesitant to touch anyone.

The young boy was happy that she wanted him to come with her. He, had issues with making new friends no matter how friendly he was. But these people didn't know anything about him or his family, making it easier to connect.

And now, Hinata, the girl with the silver eyes, wanted him around.

Good

Serjio couldn't stand being alone.

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**That's it for Chapter 2 I hope you liked it! Detailed reviews or food for thought are welcome. Here's a cookie!**


	3. Truths and Misconceptions

**As always, give me hard reviews, take the time to do it if it takes your fancy. And here's a cookie!**

**Truths and Misconceptions**

Hinata set off into Konoha unsure of where to go exactly. She was a loner and she had eclectic tastes as to where to go when she was alone, meaning she went to different places on a whim, and depending on her mood. Which for the most part it meant going into the woods alone or to the waterfalls to think as she was always by herself.

But by Serjio's friendly, albeit pushy, encouragement she was being forced to choose where she could spend a day having fun and relaxing rather than training for the Chuunin exams.

At first she felt a little self conscious about having him follow her as this drew looks from all the villagers. Although she acknowledged it could be much weirder. Serjio was sporting his tunic, tabard, and sword, no armor this time. The look of her being followed by a fully armored knight would have turned heads.

She decided to give him a more detailed tour of the village to pass the time. He only asked the occasional question of the things she showed him. But none where of the present but of her village's past. All, very specific and very good questions, about lifestyle, Shinobi, the Nine-Tail Fox Demon and about the other villages. She enjoyed teaching him these little things, but in truth she was trying to buy time for herself to think of something to do.

She shrugged mentally when she came across Sakura and Ino arguing again and Tenten trying to calm them down, the grip of being an outsider came crawling back into her mind, but by a mental slip she lost track of Serjio for an instant and when she looked forward again, he was chatting with Sakura and Ino.

"Erato Ino!" said Serjio knowing Ino's name but also gesturing to Sakura, she, having given him directions the day before.

"Oh yeah, hi Serjio" she answered remembering the lucky timing he had caught her with at the sushi bar.

"So, Serjio, are you here all by your lonesome?" asked Sakura committing his name to memory.

"Nay, I am with Hinata" he said gesturing to Hinata who was a halfway between keeping her distance and standing next to him.

"Oh, really? Hinata, sweetie come here" said Ino walking over and snatching Hinata by the hand and bringing her to the group.

"What do you mean you are with Hinata, made a new friend?" asked Tenten with a devious tone, but restraining her rambunctious impulse, knowing Hinata's shyness and having a care for her.

"Um, he is living at my house for the moment, his teammates left a day ago and I'm giving him a tour of the village" said Hinata trying to force the words out of her mouth.

"Ah ha, I see. Well, the girls and I were going to go hang out for the rest of the day before the exam to try and unwind, you want to come with us?" asked Ino.

Hinata sighed in relief mentally and nodded, she followed the trio and looked back to see if Serjio was following.

He was standing as if there was an invisible line separating him from them, or as if he at the lip of a chasm and couldn't join them.

"Serj you're invited too" added Tenten with a friendly wink.

Serjio smiled earnestly and stepped up to follow them.

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Marcus was smiling deviously, they had only been gone a day and they were on the track to finding their quarry. A man who was identified as "Orochimaru", he was supposed to be one of the legendary assassins known as Saanin.

He was looking forward to killing this man and his master, the great serpent. He could feel ripples in the land, there was a taint and they were going to seek it out. He salivated at the chance to fight the snake, the man however was of no consequence he was sure.

There were few daemons he ever placed enough esteem in for he to want to fight them especially. All daemons were the same to him; imps, harpies, tempests, spirit, homunculi. All the same, their blood was all the same to him, he cared not from where their blood came so long as it came.

He had however a black list of daemons he wanted to kill himself. And among them was a particularly insidious and crafty one, named The Deceiver. A bestial creature, half man and half wolf, named The Hound.

And one, that although not so powerful as the others, he had marked the order in a way no other could, he had smeared the taint of impurity on the Templar banner. And now he had to deal with it. Him, HIM, Marcus Black Rose had to bear the weight of the taint, Marcus Black Rose, one of the most powerful and faithful of the Order had to bear the torture of watching the taint grow before his eyes, and what more, to see it assimilate everything the order stood for in some sort of sick, twisted parody of what a Templar should be.

If it were up to him and not the Saint, bless her mind, he would have severed the taint at its first sign. Why did the Saint allow the taint to grow, he would never understand.

He was however optimistic that nature would take its course, that things would be what they are, daemons, daemons and men, men. He knew that the taint would one day be severed, purged and destroyed. And that day, he knew it was not too much to hope; would be soon.

What if, the Saint was testing them. See how long they would wait, how long they would be patient. He would not touch the thing with the intention to hurt it, but he could goad it into fighting.

At least that is what he had been trying to do for the past decade, the taint was patient.

But he was Marcus Black Rose The Bane of Half Breeds.

He would live up to his name if it was the last thing he did.

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The rest of the day was, enjoyable to say the least.

Serjio mixed well with the girls and hung out with them the rest of the day.

They went from Tenten's favorite teahouse where Serjio discovered the drink for the first time and tried half of the varieties on the menu and over drank giving him an upset stomach.

To Ino's house where they had lunch. Ino's mom eyed Serjio strangely sending Ino suggesting looks about the handsome young man who was with them.

Serjio remained quiet for the most part, but always smiling and attentive of them and everything they said.

Hinata connected, oddly enough, with them in a way she hadn't before. She felt like one of the group and she began to speak clearly and aloud, although still a little shyly. She had, fun, fun with friends she had never truly connected with and had a marvelous day with them.

They spoke, and laughed and she was treated like one of the group for once. Not like a loner, or like she was delicate, or like she was a noble.

Like one of the group.

She couldn't help but feel a form of naiveté on Serjio's part as to the whole day. Like he had never had friend's his age before. Everything they did, she couldn't help but find it endearing, but it was like he was doing them for the first time. Having a day of nothing but lollygagging and relaxing, playing, and simply bonding. It was as if he had never done that before.

He also had a distressed look on his life as they did certain things by themselves and not let him do them.

Things like opening doors, washing the dishes and picking up the utensils on the table when they finished eating at Ino's house.

Serjio was eager to serve in nature and behaved like an indentured servant in many ways. He was humble, lowly humble even, overly respectful and quiet when in presence of a host.

This made Hinata wonder if all Templar were like this, or if it was just him.

Hinata noticed that he possessed a strange complexion. He had refined features and somewhat pointy ears that were only a dab longer than most other ears. His lavender eyes were by far the most vivid and intense eyes she had seen anywhere.

Ino however noticed a few other things, one that she thought of as cute was his humility and the fact that he was a delicate sort of handsome, but was however completely unaware of it. Even with the few little nicks and cuts on his face he could be quite the catch.

Sakura noticed something odd about Serjio the instant she saw his reaction when Naruto came over and chatted with them for a, just a little boasting and encouragement for the exams to come.

Ino and Sakura knew Hinata well enough to know that she had a massive thing for Naruto, and that he was completely aloof to it. She didn't know if he was trying to ignore it, or if he was stupid enough to not notice.

When Hinata started to blush, Serjio looked at the reaction with a slight, almost undetectable recoil. Like he didn't like the way she had reacted.

Did Serjio like Hinata?

The young Templar was asking himself why he felt that way when Hinata started to blush. He knew exactly, there and then, that she was infatuated with Naruto. But why did he react the way that he had?

He was, for lack of a better word, scared of what he was feeling in his chest, his heart was wrenching. He was friendly and kind, sure, but he was terrified of one thing above all; getting hurt. He hated trusting others and only finding that these were false friendships and sad misconceptions. Due to his origin he was used to being alone and being the pariah in the Order. He had no friends, and trusted no one, only captain was nice to him. Only Master was sweet to him.

He blessed her name everyday and thanked the Saint as many times for giving him that small glint of light in his life.

Then again, he thanked the Saint every day for the Templar having allowed his coming into their Order, even if they were not nice to him. He was a burden and he knew it, they were bearing it, and he would be forever in their dept for doing so.

He hoped that it was nothing, that his heart was not singing to his mind about her. He prayed and hoped that this was not the case, because he knew beyond a doubt that it would be a very bad misconception.

The rest of the day, he distanced himself from her some. Hinata noticed and made a mental note to ask him if something was wrong when they were going home.

But when she did, he only answered "Speak the truth, or nothing at all", oddly eloquent of him, although it was heavy with his accent and his words were slightly mispronounced.

"I don't want to say" he added.

"Well, if you want to, you can come tell me, ok?" she replied warily, Serjio had been nothing but kind and sweet, if there was something wrong with him she wanted to help.

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The day after, was a blur, however vivid it was.

Hinata remembered how it started, she had breakfast but couldn't eat very much from nerves. Father set her off and Serjio followed her in full outfit like a body guard. When they arrived at the test grounds he put his hand on her shoulder and said nothing. But somehow, that gesture said, all she needed to feel.

"You're going to be alright"

She smiled and gave him one of her half hidden waves.

She felt better, every time she got scared or nervous, she found herself thinking of Serjio in full armor and dress. His helmet had scars, deep and shallow, diverse and menacing looking scars. It was strange but somehow, the face of his helmet was a symbol and it gave her a sense of reassurance when she fought.

She couldn't explain it but it was like Serjio was looking after her.

He helped her any way he could during the one month of training after the scroll phase of the exam. She fought him using Gentle Palm and he countered as best he could.

Kiba and Shino came to know him better as time passed. And so did Kurenai, her sensei and guardian during the one month of rest and training she had before the final stages of the exam.

She smiled, she was glad she met him, he was a great friend. Her first true friend, how weird was it that of all the people in the village she had never fully connected with any of them, but with this stranger she felt at ease in four weeks.

But right now, those feelings had evaporated, she was about to fight Neji, this was the other most terrifying scenario she would have ever thought of.

The fight began, and she stood her ground. Naruto was watching her, Sakura was watching, so was Kurenai sensei, so was Serjio, his face hidden behind his helmet. Everyone's faces varied from encouragement, to surprise, to rage.

No amount of verbal abuse was going to make her back down, she could not, Naruto believed in her, she could not lose. No amount of anger from Neji, or any of his speeches about destiny and fate was going to make her give up. She knew she was going to lose, but she felt like she had won, she had won against herself. And she had managed to get a few good blows in and a few impossible dodges and blocks. The training with the Templar had helped her immensely. She had done better than she could have hoped.

She, Hinata Hyuga, had faced Neji and fought to the bitter end.

As the fight progressed, Kakashi noticed something strange.

The boy who was introduced as a Templar for the hunt of Orochimaru was glowing with energy.

Of course, only a trained eye could see it, or Sharingan in his case. He had an aura of energy that cackled silently about him that none of the others could see. But about his clenched fist rippled energy, lashing to be loosed upon someone, Kakashi knew right off the bat that most likely it was aimed at Neji for beating Hinata so severely. Serjio's fist was clenched most likely in anger.

He had to watch him, he was sure the others would watch Neji if he was going to overdo it. These were not fights to the death.

It was in the split second when Neji screamed in rage at Hinata and wound his arm to strike a killing blow that everyone froze. Before Kakashi could react, before anyone could react. In the instant it takes for a mind to act, a strike of white lightning lanced out at Neji from Serjio's chest, its body bent and arched in cruel angles, its sound deafening in the battleground. But its point, homed in on Neji's back surely and unmoving from the trajectory at its target.

Neji was flung to the wall opposite of Hinata like a rag doll, the girl's eyes were wide, and only vaguely registered that it was Serjio from where the arc had come, her sight was blurring, she could only tell it was him by the shape of his black cloak.

Before she fell she was in the arms of Kurenai who had reacted and dropped down to help her up.

She called for the medics.

Neji however was not as accepting that the fight was over, and turned his wrath on the Templar who had now dropped down from the railing and was running to Hinata's side.

Neji screamed and charged at him.

Serjio only slowed his run slightly holding his hand and arm out stretched and tense. His gauntlet open and slightly clenched at a cruel pose and he said loud and clear the single phrase that would cause Neji the most pain in his life;

"_Agon Acerbitas"_

A tidal wave of anguish and torment exploded from every nerve of Neji's body. He had no breath to scream, his body contorted and bent, his muscles spastically contorted themselves in wild bursts of agony. Tears bled out of his eyes and blood splattered lightly from his mouth, he having bitten deeply into his tongue.

Serjio continued to approach Kurenai and only held his hand fixated on Neji for an instant. All eyes were on the pair for a moment, Serjio's gesture and command, and Neji's strange contortion, the low whining moaning scream in the back of everyone's mind and ears, it resembled three high-pitched voices screaming in a symphony of suffering. By the time anyone had enough sense to regain the consciousness that they could move, the torture was over.

The Templar knew how much was enough, and the look Neji had on his face after ten seconds was sign for the end of the agony.

When Serjio dropped his hand, so eased Neji's movements. He lay, immobile on his back, a deep breath coughed through the silence of the arena. Then a long cry, the most anguished note anyone had ever heard anywhere.

A cry of utter, annihilation, of utter, inconsolable agony.

Then silence…

Neji passed out. Guy rushed to check on him and so did Kakashi, both found the strangest thing, Neji's body was unharmed, save for the bite on his tongue.

They both gave each other the same confused look and then looked back at Serjio who helping place Hinata on the stretcher.

Kurenai, Kakashi and Guy all looked at each other wondering the same thing.

What just happened?

As Serjio tried to follow the medics who were carrying Hinata whom attempted to shoo him away as best they could seeing what he had just done. Naruto stopped him, Kakashi came to him and stepped up to the pair.

"Serjio was it? We need to have a little chat"

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Serjio was taken aside by Kakashi who was grateful for Hinata's prompt, albeit completely unnecessary rescue. They could have handled it perfectly. Still, Serjio's head was in the right place.

However what he had done to Neji raised alarm in everyone. They could have all bet their lives that he was burning Neji from the inside out, but upon further examination of the body, the body was completely unharmed.

Overall, there was not much to say, he hadn't hurt Neji anymore than the next competitor, however the jutsu, spell, or whatever he had done was brutal in the extreme.

"Serjio, what jutsu was that?"

"Nay justsu, a forbidden curse"

"And what did you just do to him?"

"In old tongue, Agon Acerbitas means, agony and anguish. I made him stop fighting"

"And that…curse….it won't hurt him will it?"

"Nay, it is torture, but it does not harm the body or the mind"

"I'm going to ask you only once, to stay out of the fights and not to use that curse again"

"But he was-"

"I know he was going to hurt Hinata, but we would not have allowed it, we were just about to stop him when you reacted"

Serjio looked at Kakashi questioningly then bowed his head in acquiescence.

And with that, Kakashi left him be, he needed to check up on Sasuke, speaking of curses, he wanted to know how the boy was doing since Orochimaru marked him in the forest.

Serjio was left alone by the rest of the group who were now a little wary of him. He felt ashamed, he was not supposed to have used that, it was forbidden, but, it felt so justified when he used it on that boy who looked like Hinata. He was about to kill her, he reacted on instinct, he couldn't just allow him to do her harm like that, she was his friend.

Also, on a personal level, he was just as enraged as Naruto at Neji. He knew he could change, he knew he was not a monster, even though his people thought of him like one.

He believed in the power of redemption and change, people could change.

He knew they could, he was a breathing example of that.

He made up his mind to leave Hinata be to the physicians. He walked away quietly to collect his thoughts, he needed his wits for what was to come later that day.

Everything was happening so fast, he was well aware he had crossed a line in hurting Neji from which he could not recant. But he would not regret having done so, he would apologize to no one for having stood for his friend.

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Time passed, the second tier matches were played out in the shadows of the Arena of Konoha. All of the matches were breathtaking and special.

Naruto as underdog surprised everyone by beating Neji. The Hyuga boy was crushed and shocked by the defeat. Was he wrong? Could people change by simply doing hard work and courage?

Shikamaru also gave up when fighting the sand ninja Temari, to everyone's surprise. He was simply tired and fresh out of his scarce enthusiasm for anything.

At the end of the match ups, something happened that no one was expecting.

After the final match, the Hokage spoke out.

"People of Konoha, Combatants of the Chuunin Exam, allies, visitors all!" he said, clear and loud into the arena.

"By our visitors, the Templar Daemon Hunters of Varajo, we have arranged for a final exhibition match to mark the end of the Chuunin exams".

"I am proud to give you Templar Nicolai Argent, and Mancipium Everto Serjio Alexandros!"

The crowd cheered and clapped.

Everyone who knew Serjio, felt a sense of dread, the same sense of dread they felt for their friends as they fought in the Arena. They wished for the best for their friend.

A tall man, sporting a fierce, malicious looking hammer walked into the area waving at the crowd with pride, and with an insidious smile that suggested he was remembering some private joke.

And at the mention of his name, Serjio entered the arena, wearing his normal armor, save his helmet. He wished he had it on, he was more embarrassed and ashamed than ever. Truly it must have been Nicolai's doing to give his name to the Hokage with that title ahead of it.

Captain had decided to set this small match for the village as a gift, she sent Nicolai back to the village to arrange it.

It was just like Nicolai to be that cruel when the Captain was not around.

Serjio wanted to disappear, he wanted to cry, somehow it seemed like the entire crowd was cheering for Nicolai to beat him. Like they all knew what Mancipium Everto meant.

He hated Nicolai, he hated him with all his might, but he would never act on it. He wanted to be better than that.

He was thankful however that at the very least Hinata was still recovering and not watching, he could not bear the weight of suffering a defeat that was likely to come at the hands of Nicolai, and have her witness it.

He felt a foot tall and was jittery about the fight, about being the center of attention. About fighting one of his greatest tormentors.

Both Daemon Hunters approached the middle of the arena.

Serjio knelt to scoop up some sand and rub it on his hands and face as he always did before a fight. The powdered feeling gave him a sense of calm, the smell of earth also helped.

"And so, here we are" said Nicolai.

Serjio said nothing and shouldered his halberd neutrally as he waited for Nicolai to make ready.

The man gazed at the boy's weapon with a sense of reminiscence, "That was your mother's weapon" he said.

"I've never seen a Templar with more promise, or with more folly" he added.

Serjio's gaze was downcast, he knew what was coming, it burned, it hurt. And he had no idea what to idea what to do, if he fought them, he would prove them correct. If he didn't it insulted, slandered and mocked the memory of his mother. He had no idea what to do.

"Maybe that bitch of a mother of yours would be proud since you've made it this far in your life. But mark my words, you are nothing, and the only reason you are here is because the Saint wants to test us. You are nothing, you are less than nothing, you will never be a Templar" said Nicholai.

Naruto and Sakura were on the railing at the lip of the arena and heard every word.

Not this act again.

"Serjio, kick his butt, show us what you can do!" yelled Naruto.

Serjio registered Naruto in his orange jumpsuit with his peripheral vision. Naruto was behind him, so was Sakura who rallied behind Naruto.

He had to fight, he had to try.

"How weak are you to not defend the memory of your mother!" yelled Nicolai into Serjio's face, letting all his anger flow out now that he was no longer under the Captain's gaze.

"I-I want to be patient, and I won't lash out at you Nicolai" he said, completely unaware that a month past his arrival in Konoha he was speaking a clear dialect.

"Patient? Afraid more likely"

"I am only human, I have limits, please…just stop Nicolai"

"No Serjio, don't you dare pretend yourself human. You are less than human, you are the bas-" and before he could say anything more, Serjio shoved Nicolai by the chest.

Nicolai smiled, he was going to win the bet he had with Marcus, he seized the unique opportunity to attack Serjio's vulnerability in an area where neither of them had to answer to an authority of Temple.

He was hitting Serjio where he knew it would hurt the most.

"Fight me Half-Breed!" he yelled to the top of his lungs and smacked Serjio across the face. He brought the sword along with the other hand to coax the boy to fight.

Serjio parried and held the Templar's sword in place under the fang of the axe.

"Your mother, was a whore, she laid with the Tainted and you were born. You do not even possess the honor of calling yourself a Daemon or a Templar of human kind. You are the pariah in the middle" he whispered to Serjio.

The boy, snapped.

He screamed to the top of his lungs and swung out his halberd and slipped his lance an inch away from Nicolai's face.

Nicolai won his bet and coaxed Serjio to fight, he was looking forward to looking at Marcus's expression when he gave him the news.

He lashed out a flurry of blows which Serjio countered solidly.

The two of the Daemon Hunters locked in combat fought, one of them, with the conscious intent to "accidentally" kill the other.

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Hinata watched the fight in agitation. She, as well as all of the other Chuunin hopefuls who had come to befriend Serjio could see that Serjio was not fighting in competition, he was fighting in rage.

She saw Serjio's dancelike pattern of combat she had come to know well in the one month of training she had with him.

Every parry, every swing, every step, every shift of weight or balance was all one seamless chain of attacks that she had the hunch Serjio could continue indefinitely so long as Nicolai stayed in range of the halberd.

She, as well as the other spectators could see the Templar combined normal close combat with other skills as well.

Serjio at one point, kicked out at Nicolai's chest knocking him back and striking with an inhuman speed at the Templar's chest with the cruel point of the halberd. A blur of thrusts funneled themselves at the man and the older combatant parried them as effortlessly as Serjio shot them.

Serjio swung, slashed and stabbed to no avail. He was giving it his all but Nicolai was keeping up well. He knew at least that he was forcing the man to fight seriously, Serjio was no slouch. But neither was Nicolai.

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Nicolai grunted at the blocks, Serjio was younger, and he could not keep up forever.

The half breed was strong, he had to give him that. The battle was not going to be won through force of arms, but by force of magick.

At an opening he swung out his hammer with enough force to knock Serjio into the air two dozen feet, the boy patiently spun in the air and landed readily on his feet on the ground. He shot his arm open as Serjio had done with Neji and yelled in effort as blue lightning shot out at Serjio only to be countered by the boy's green one.

The electricity and energy struggled one against the other. Both grunted and screamed in the monstrous effort of maintaining a stable current of energy.

The energy blurred and flashed against each other in a dance of mental will against the other. And it was painfully obvious, that although Serjio began with the largest bloom of energy, much of it was wasted and lacked focus.

Nicolai smiled knowing he was about to win and funneled a steady amount of energy to the front and loosed it all at the same time as it was stockpiled.

The deafening explosion knocked Serjio into the wall and onto his knees.

This was Nicolai's chance.

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Serjio's body ached from the blow of wry energy. He forced his heavy legs to stand, if he knew Nicolai he was going to try to kill him now. And as if on cue he ducked on instinct as Nicolai brought the hammer slamming against the wall where his head was only an instant ago.

Nicolai grabbed him by the collar and flung him into the middle of the arena. A murderous look in his eye, told Serjio, he had to fight for his life.

It was when Nicolai brought up his hammer to strike that Serjio closed his eyes shut and slapped his hands together as if in prayer that he gained the hope of survival.

A blinding burst of light flashed from his chest. Enough to temporarily blind anyone, he tried to get up to strike at Nicolai expecting the man to be dazed.

But when he tried to, a boot slammed into his neck crushing his wind pipe.

"Light Burst? I hope you were more cunning than that" said Nicolai, grinning sadistically as he drove Serjio's neck into the ground.

Serjio's vision was blurring, his windpipe wrenched at the pressure, he knew Nicolai was chocking him, his head was swirling and could not focus.

"Serjio get up! Get up!" yelled Naruto to the top of his lungs.

Sakura looked on speechless. Nicolai was killing Serjio, the boy's body struggling and lashing out to gain a foothold and remove the boot.

Serjio heard Naruto, he wanted to get up, he had to or else, there was a good chance Nicolai would kill him. No, it was a certainty.

But his anger had dissipated, the world was darkening and strength was leaving him.

Death was coming, he could feel it in his famished lungs.

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Hinata shot out of her chair and limped-ran to the railing next to Naruto, terrified for her friend.

"Serjio GET UP!!" she screamed to the top of her lungs.

Everyone heard her, her cousin, watched the scene with some agitation, Serjio had harmed him, but what was taking place in the Arena he wouldn't wish upon the Templar, it was not a fight it was murder.

Her father, who was surprised at his daughter's sudden burst of emotion, he knowing her to be quiet and shy, looked for her and saw her fear. He scoffed, she was too kind.

And weak, like the fool who was being strangled on the ground by his comrade.

Some of the other rookie nine rushed to the railing some of them shouting encouragements or yelling at the older referees to stop the fight.

But it looked like no one was going to move, Serjio was going to die, murdered in the sand of the Arena.

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In the darkness of failing vision he heard everyone yelling at him to get up. Shouts of encouragement and fear, the yelling of his friends, terrified of what was happening.

They wanted him to live.

He wanted to live too, to play with them and have fun like he had learned to do over the past month. To drink tea and listen to Ino and Sakura only to stop them from getting too heated up,to munch on barbeque with Choji and race with Naruto, to do all the things he had come to love about Konoha.

And to spend time with Hinata, she was so sweet to him.

As he heard the voices of his friends, when he heard Hinata's voice, the emotion and fear behind it. He struggled a little further, as much as his body would allow.

Then, like clockwork, something in him clicked.

A fire engulfed his body, mind and soul. A hell storm of pure, inconsolable rage.

He screamed out to the top of his lungs and a lance of lightning arched from his chest and into Nicolai who was thrown brutally to the wall opposite.

When the dust cleared, Nicolai saw something he was not expecting. Something no one of the Order had ever seen from Serjio before.

A sage colored, oily smoke exhumed from every pore of his body was pumping out ever more energy.

Serjio was tapping into the darkness inside him. Now, whether he did this on purpose or by mistake, Nicolai didn't know, but then again he didn't care.

The taint was showing itself for what it was, and now, he had every reason in the world to kill him for it.

Serjio stood, shakily, one of his eyes was black it's pupil completely dilated, the other was normal.

Nicolai cast a barrage of lightning arcs which slammed into Serjio, who was unmoving and shrugged them off as slaps.

Nicolai blew him back with an energy blast funneled through his hammer. Serjio repeated the aerial stunt and landed on the other end of the Arena.

Suddenly, as quickly as it had come, the energy synapse had broken backwards and slammed back into Serjio's body. He felt his skin crawl in to slits across his back.

Pain and nausea assaulted his body. His knees buckled and he fell on them.

What was happening to him?

Nicolai strode to him and he did all he could do, he shot out arcs of the last reservoirs of energy he had.

It was almost pathetic, the wavering boy refused to give up, his arcs were slapped away by the approaching Templar.

The older man saw what was happening for what it was, the struggle of the suppressed half-breed's true nature against his own magick and energy.

Serjio's life was worth taking, but it almost took the pleasure out of it. The fact he was now helpless.

He shouldered his hammer and kicked Serjio across the face, breaking his lip and nose and making him fall on his back.

Serjio couldn't move, his breath was heavy, his will broken. His own body was against him as was Nicolai.

He was going to die.

Nicolai raised his hammer, the entire crowd was silent, as he brought down the blow that would have ended Serjio's life, a figure appeared in a heartbeat blocking the heavy, unforgiving weapon.

Kakashi

Both stared at each other for a moment before Nicolai backed off, remembering where he was and who these people were.

"These are not fights to the death, I'd expected you to understand that" said Kakashi.

Nicolai did not answer, he simply backed off to the booing of the crowd who were disapproving of the attempted death blow.

Nicolai bowed his head slightly at the Hokage's seating and exited the Arena without another word, he had to leave Konoha immediately and unmolested by another problem, the village Shinobi were protecting the Half-Breed, they were now enemies of the Order. He had to get the information to the Captain.

When Kakashi turned around to look at Serjio and help him up he felt a chill crawl up his spine. Drops of blood escaped his tear ducts and his stare was unblinking and blank.

He scooped up the boy and yelled at the medics to hurry. They placed him on the stretcher and hurried him off to the emergency room, expecting the worst.

What had just happened?

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Seeing Serjio's broken body carted out of the arena, the Rookie Nine were shocked and frightened.

Was Serjio dying, was he dead already?

They all coped in different ways but the one thing they all of the ones who had befriended Serjio did was go to the emergency room to wait and see if Serjio was going to be alright.

Some reassured the others that he was going to be fine, other sat silently, jumping every time a medical Shinobi came out of the operating room. And some were neurotic.

Serjio had been their friend, sure, they had only known him for a month, but that mattered not to the Chuunin hopefuls. He had bonded with each and every one of them, and he was a friend worth losing.

They all hoped with all their might that he would be ok.

Hinata sat in the corner flanked by Tenten and Sakura who were trying to calm her down.

Serjio was her best friend and she was scared for him to the point that she was going to cry. He looked so wounded, she was sure of the worst.

He had been such a great friend, he had always been so sweet and kind to her. And she could not imagine her daily life without her shadow following her. Without his encouragements, his kind gestures and his talks with her. She had trusted him with things she had never told anyone else. And he had always been kind enough to listen and to be truthful to her in all things.

Serjio had to be ok, he just had to be….


End file.
